Seventh Sense
by Kurosin
Summary: She's heard of the expression 'Love is blind', but didn't expect it to be so literal. T to be safe. Ino x Surprise Pairing
1. Good News and Bad News

**Seventh Sense**

**Summary: Ino's eyes are injured during a mission, critical enough for surgery. She must stay in the hospital for three weeks to recover. During that time, she's visited every night by a mysterious stranger who won't speak, depriving her of his identity. But it has to be someone she knows...can she figure out who? Does she even want to? She's heard of the expression 'Love is blind', but didn't expect it to be so literal.**

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**Chapter One: Good News and Bad News**

A pain shot through Ino's thumping forehead once she finally came to. The pain seemed to extend behind her pupils. No, it came from her very sockets. The numbness of sleep finally wore off when she forced herself into a sitting position. It did nothing to help the headache.

"Ugh...what happened?" Her voice drowsily shot through the dark, followed by a yawn. Once the throbbing dimmed, said person opened their eyes, only to be met with a wall of black. After a few moments, her pupils began to sting again. With a low 'ow' she slammed her eyes shut again. "What the...what's going on?" Ino asked in a sudden panic, pushing her legs to the side of the comfortable surface. A bed. She then raised a hand up to feel her eyes, which were covered in some sort of tight cloth. "What's this?"

"Hey, Shikamaru, she's finally awake."

"Chouji?" She asked, hearing a door open and shut. She sensed a figure standing besides the bed. "You guys, what's going on?" She repeated.

"Guess she doesn't remember." Chouji said. Strangely, he was deprived of the usual crunching and munching that followed nearly every other sentence.

"Huh. Troublesome." One could only guess who that was.

About to repeat her question for the third time, but not wanting to sound like a moron, she shot the room a frown folding her arms on her lap. "Care to explain?"

"Don't you remember? You were on a mission with me and Kiba, when we were attacked at the mountain pass. They got you straight in the eyes during the ambush." Chouji unraveled. "No wonder. You probably didn't know what hit you."

"Oh...so how bad was it?" Ino asked, lowering her shoulders.

There was silence.

"Guys?" Ino asked.

"Well...you kind of had to have surgery." Chouji explained.

"Surgery? Is it that bad?" Ino asked, facing the direction she could only guess Chouji was.

Ino could only hear a rustle of fabric, of what she guessed was a nod or a shrug from either of her teammates. "Yeah. Tsunade-sama should have the test results back soon...we're not sure about the setbacks, though. You could be blind for all we know."

Always Shikamaru. Straight and to the point. Probably too troublesome to beat around the bush and at least lie to make her feel better. But blind?

"Jeeze. You don't seem very concerned." She mumbled. Either Shikamaru didn't catch it, or was too lazy to answer.

So Ino was left to her thoughts for the moment, since neither knew just what to say._ No, I can't be blind! So much I haven't seen yet! So many guys I haven't seen yet!_ She gaped her mouth, horrorstruck.

Chouji must have noticed her discomfort from the sudden silence not usual in the presence of the Yamanaka heiress.

"Er...maybe it's not that bad, Ino. I mean Tsunade-sama's the best, right? Remember the surgery she performed on Lee's leg?"

This comforted Ino a bit, but she still spoke in an unusually small voice. "Yeah...you're probably right."

A few minutes of tense silence passed again before Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome..."

Almost as if on cue, the door slipped open again.

"Tsunade-sama." Ino wasn't sure if it was a greeting Shikamaru, or to help Ino acknowlege who was entering. Either way, she felt a sliver of gratitude towards the lazy Jounin.

"I see you've regained conciousness, Ino." The strong, but feminine, voice of Tsunade cut off her teammates greetings. "I won't beat around the bush. I've have recieved the results of your surgery..."

Ino's breath hitched, and her shoulders once again tensed. _Please, please, please don't be blind,_ she repeated mentally.

"And there is revealed to be only minor side-effects, if any..."

Ino squealed, catching the Hokage off guard but not her companions...they were used to her fangirlish outbursts. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you!"

Tsunade sighed, but couldn't help but smile. "Alright, enough celebrating. You will need to be in recovery for a good two to three weeks. During that time, you must stay in the hospital under my observation in case any major signs _are_ to occur."

"W-what? Three weeks?!" Ino said in surprise, her yelps of happiness coming to a sudden halt. "B-but I have missions, and the flower shop, and...I couldn't stay in one place that long!"

"That's true." Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome. You'll have to bind her to the bed."

Ino knew he was only joking, but couldn't help but throw a raspberry in the direction she guessed he was.

Tsunade frowned at the girl. "If you try to escape, which I'm sure you would have a difficult time finding the door, I will merely extend your recovery period by another day."

"_What_?" Ino asked, flabbergasted. "But...but..."

"No buts. My decision is final." She turned at the door. "Enjoy your stay...and don't even think of removing your bandages until the three weeks are up!"

Ino heard the door shut soundly, leaving the blonde with her teammates to grump.

"Three weeks..." She whined. "I won't survive."

**To be continued.**


	2. First Encounter

**Seventh Sense**

**Thank you guys for the reviews! I lurve reviews o.o**

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**Chapter Two: First Encounter**

Sleep came easy. I mean, wouldn't hours of sitting up with your eyes closed and nothing to keep you busy but your own thoughts get to you?

Anyways, it gave her plenty of time to think. She figured plenty of downsides to being blind. One; You can never be too sure whether you're sleeping or awake. To a normal human, it'd be almost maddening. Thankfully, she and the rest of her clan were Mindwalkers... and two; You never know what time it is. Day or night. You always have to wait until a nurse walks by or someone comes to see you, to ask what time it is...which happens very rarely for some reason.

_Come to think of it, the only people who actually came to visit were my old team, Sakura, and father..._

Ino wanted to believe the rest of her friends were just busy. That they were off on missions and spending time with family to visit. That, at least, they forgot about her.

But one particular person came to mind, when she thought about her childhood.

_Would he come see me if he were still here?_

Ino realized, during his 6 year absence, that she had been nothing but a nuisance to him when they were children. Now 19, she also noticed that she never had a _real_ boyfriend. Just mindless flirting, meaningless dates, and a few one night stands here and there...but nothing _serious_ at all.

A small smile tugs at her lips, when she remembers hours of daydreaming about that perfect guy she would marry when she was older. She also remembers mindlessly telling Shikamaru and Chouji about the very same memory, a few weeks after they became Ino-Shika-Chou.

Shikamaru just muttered that "Such thoughts are troublesome."

He and Chouji seemed to be the only ones who didn't call such a dream _childish_. They didn't even seem to think any lower of her on such occasions that her ego dropped, and they got a glimpse of a more simpler girl.

The smile quickly fell to a frown. She was lucky to have them, even, with the way she treated them sometimes...especially Chouji. Maybe that's why she didn't have any other friends.

_Once this is over...I'll be nicer. I will! I've learned my lesson. I think..._

There was a sudden push sound like something dragging...no..opening.

_What's that?_ "Wh-who's there?" Ino squeaked, losing volume control for a second there. She cleared her voice.

The noise stopped abruptly at her voice, but continued once she coughed. She identified the sound to her right, which would be the window.

_What time is it? Damn it, I wish I could see!! It could be night...and if that's the case, it might be an enemy..._

Ino felt for a kunai she placed under the pillow, in case of such an event.

After a few moments, she felt a weight slowly added to the end of the bed. She recoiled her feet towards her in a cross-cross fashion. Her heart pounded in her throat loudly. She was surprised they couldn't hear it.

"Who are you?" She repeated again, gulping what fear she could. In her opinion, she hid it well in her voice...but the tension in the room rose when all was quiet, so she continued to speak. "If your not going to say anything, I can only assume you're an enemy..."

Still nothing. Continually, Ino cursed herself for her deprived vision.

About to say something else, her voice hitched in her throat when the weight on the bed moved...coming towards her.

She pushed herself closer to the headboard, tightening her hold on the kunai. "I'm warning you..."

Still they came, reaching the middle of the bed.

"Please just leave!" Ino slammed her eyes shut.

The motion stopped. As quickly as they came, whoever it was eased off the bed. Without much noise, they walked across the room and to the window, shutting it calmly behind them. It was as if the stranger never came.

Ino lowered her chest and shoulders, sighing in relief. But before she could get comfortable, she waiting a few moments to be sure he was gone...

Morning must have came. Or what she guessed was morning. Some time she had fallen asleep, the kunai digging a red line in her palm. She finally let go and turned at the noise as she heard a nurse opening the hospital room's curtains.

"Rise and shine!" She said merrily, exiting the room.

_She sounds fat... _Ino frowned, scolding herself. _I thought I said I'd be nice!_

**To Be Continued.**


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